Locals fare well at state girls wrestling tournament

Three make medal stand

Even at the CIF State Girls Wrestling Championships, Reylene Coronado considers herself one of the boys.

She wrestles like a boy because that’s who she usually wrestles against on Oxnard High’s predominantly male team.

That style helped Coronado take fifth place at 170 pounds, finishing as one of three Ventura County wrestlers on the state podium Saturday at the Visalia Convention Center.

Coronado was joined by Camarillo’s Sydney Santillano, the third-place medalist at 235 pounds, and Santa Paula’s Selena De La Cruz, the fourth-place medalist at 143.

Medaling as a senior during her first trip to the state tournament is especially rewarding for Coronado because of all she went through just to make it there.

As a freshman, Coronado cut eight pounds in two days in preparation for CIF Masters only to be told on the night before competition that she would not be allowed to wrestle. Her coach was too focused on the boys and turned in her registration late.

That debacle led Coronado to make a decision she now seriously regrets — quit wrestling.

“It was the worst mistake I’ve ever made,” Coronado said. “I was thinking I’ve wrestled for four years. I’m done. I don’t like it anymore. I’m over it. I was like, you know what? Half the boys don’t even like me. The coach doesn’t really care. I’m done.”

Coronado said the senior class of boys during her freshman year liked her and shielded her from a much meaner junior class. When those seniors graduated and the juniors took over the team, it created a climate she no longer wanted to be in.

But a new coach took over the team during her junior year at Oxnard and Coronado decided to return to the mat.

“I kind of wanted to do it, I just wanted to know that stuff was going to get done,” Coronado said. “You’re going to be professional about it, right? He said we’d love to have you.”

That turned out to be one of the best decisions she ever made.

Not only does she love the boys in her class, but Coronado finished her junior season one win away from qualifying for the state tournament. Only a broken rib and bruised ankle held her back.

“The last match my body just gave up on me,” Coronado said.

This year she battled a respiratory infection, double ear infection and the flu at Masters. In the same spot as before, this time it was her mind that gave way. Fortunately, her body redeemed itself and saved the day.

“I was in consolation and if I win this next match I’ll go to state. I didn’t even want to,” Coronado said. “The girl was so new that I couldn’t lose to her. I pinned her in 20 seconds. I don’t know how to throw a match. Once I’m out there I forget everything I just told myself and it’s just give it your all.”

Finally at the state tournament, Coronado won her first two matches before falling to No. 2 seed Celycia Sandoval from Franklin in the quarterfinals. Dropping into the consolation bracket, she then pinned her next two opponents before falling to eventual third-place medalist Milagros Garcia from Mountain View. In the fifth-place match, Coronado ended a scoreless stalemate with a second period pin of Northview’s Deidra Valles.

Camarillo’s Santillano advanced to the quarterfinals with a pin and a bye. There, she was pinned by eventual champion Lakiya Wagoner from Birmingham. A 5-3 win in the consolation bracket then set up an all-Ventura County matchup against Pacifica’s Jennifer Sanderson, who Santillano pinned at the 3-minute mark. A 37-second pin followed by a 3-1 win against Sierra Vista’s Evelyn Avila put her on the podium for a third-place medal.

“It means a lot because last year I only made it to CIF (Masters),” Santillano said. “I was hard working but I didn’t get to where I wanted to be.

“(Third place) is better than nothing. I got third place at CIF Masters and here. I guess No. 3 likes me. I like it. It’s good. It’s not bad.”

Santa Paula’s De La Cruz pinned her first three opponents to advance to the semifinals, where she was pinned at 1:06 by eventual champion Alyssa Hernandez of James Logan. Another pin sent her to the third-place match, where she fell at 1:50 against No. 3 seed Katie Auxier of Northview.

“It’s great to prove something to our little town,” De La Cruz said. “Fourth place in the state — it’s good that our town is getting noticed. ... It feels great.”

Sanderson advanced to the quarterfinals, where she lost 3-2 to No. 2 seed Vickie Espinoza from Rancho Cotate. She pinned Pioneer Valley’s Melissa Vasquez to set up the all-Ventura County matchup with Santillano before taking seventh with a pin of No. 4 seed and CIF champion Jazmine Chavarria of West Covina.

Camarillo’s Joseph Nicole (121) advanced to the quarterfinals and placed eighth, losing 7-1 to Las Plumas’ Cassie Olive in the seventh-place match. She lost to No. 4 seed Jazmin Perez from Northview 6-0 in the quarterfinals and finished 4-2 in the tournament.

Santa Paula’s Cindy Vazquez (160) recovered from an opening-round fall against eventual finalist Niauni Hill of Hayward to place eighth. She won three straight consolation matches before losing by pin to Modesto’s Marianne Schauer in the seventh-place match.

Channel Islands freshman Judith Reyes (189) placed eighth, losing 5-4 to Antelop Valley’s MaryJane Padilla in the seventh-place match. Reyes won her first match of the tournament 1-0 and lost her second 4-2 to No. 3 seed Danielle Pubil of Sacred Heart Cathedral before winning three straight consolation matches.

Royal’s Marina Briceno (131) advanced to the quarterfinals but failed to medal after two consecutive losses. She lost to eventual finalist Erika Mihalca of Casa Grande 16-12 in the quarterfinals.

Nordhoff’s Mikayla Miles (131) was pinned in her first match of the tournament and finished two wins away from the medal rounds.

Santa Paula’s Stephany Arriola (137) was pinned in both of her matches after drawing No. 2 seed Anna Naylor of Lynbrook in the opening round.